Collateral Damage
by Philote
Summary: An old "friend" of Adam's needs his help with something. To get it, she's going to go through someone he cares about. (Jesse-centric)
1. Prologue

Title: Collateral Damage

Fandom: Mutant X

Author: Piper

E-mail: hyperpiper_019@hotmail.com

Rating: PG

Category: drama, angst, hurt-comfort

Summary: An old "friend" of Adam's needs his help. To get it, she's going to go through someone he cares about.

Spoilers: small ones for "Sign from Above" and "Fool for Love"

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of Mutant X do not belong to me. This is for entertainment only; I make no money from this story. Please don't sue!

Author's Note: I know the plot of "a woman from Adam's past" has been done more than once, by fans in fiction and by the show itself. But they've built Adam's life such that there is plenty of room for past enemies, so I decided to add one more to the mix. This is really an ensemble fic, but there is definite focus on Jesse. (What can I say, I have my favorites!) This isn't meant to be slash or romance, just friendship. Enjoy!

Prologue

~*~

Brennan Mulwray plastered a smile on his face and nodded a goodbye to the brunette as she fished a few dollars for the drink from her purse and turned to go. Once she was out of sight, he dropped the façade and sighed.

He was _not_ having a good night. It had taken him two hours and five girls to find this one, who he'd enjoyed talking to and had actually seemed interested in him. But she'd been sitting with him no more than ten minutes when her pager had gone off—a babysitter calling to let her know her son was sick. Needless to say, she'd gone running. And now here he sat, alone. Again.

With another sigh he turned his gaze to the bar. Jesse had the blond on the barstool beside him laughing as he told some story. Brennan would never admit it, but he was a little envious. The same woman had been with Jesse most of the night. She was beautiful and seemed to have a genuine interest in his friend.

Brennan glanced at his watch, then reached for the money on the table and went to pay the tab. He doubted Jesse was ready to leave, but hey, he could get her phone number. Brennan didn't relish the idea of sitting alone and playing chaperone until dawn.

After paying he approached the couple. Jesse was so involved in their conversation that it was actually the girl who noticed him first. Jesse noticed that he'd lost her attention and finally glanced up. "Oh, hey Brennan," he said with a smile, then hastened to make introductions. "This is Fiona. Fiona, this is my friend, Brennan."

She gave him a sweet smile and offered her hand. "Hi Brennan. Nice to meet you."

He shook her hand gently. "You too."

She glanced between them, then stood. "I'll let you two boys talk."

Jesse quickly gripped her wrist gently, looking slightly panicked. "Whoa, you're leaving?"

She laughed softly. "I'm just going to the ladies' room." With that she leaned in, planting a kiss on his lips with enough intensity that Brennan stared for a moment before glancing away, coughing slightly to cover his smile.

Fiona pulled back. "Don't go away," she instructed before turning to walk into the thinning crowd.

Jesse stared after her, slightly dazed. Brennan cleared his throat and took her seat, no longer hiding the knowing smile he sent his friend. "Having a good night, brother?"

"Yeah, yeah…unbelievably good," Jesse responded absently. After a moment he looked to Brennan. "This is real, right? I didn't dream her up?"

Brennan laughed. "She looked pretty real to me."

"She seems to she like me, right? I mean, she's sweet and smart and…"

"…sexy?" Brennan supplied.

Jesse grinned. "Definitely sexy. But it's more than that. She seems different from most of the girls I've met lately. It's been a long time since I've met anyone I thought I could have a real relationship with."

"Whoa, slow down there," Brennan cautioned, slightly amused at the dreamy look in his friend's eyes. "You just met the girl, Jess."

"I know, I know, but…"

"Look, it's getting late. Why don't we call it a night? You get her number, call her tomorrow, maybe spend some more time with her before you decide to elope, all right?"

Jesse looked at him in disbelief. "You're kidding, right? You want me to leave _now_?"

Brennan sighed. "You want some advice? She seems to genuinely like you. Don't rush it." 

"Thanks, but no, I don't really want advice. I'm gonna stay a while longer. Don't worry about me; you go ahead."

"We have one car, Jess."

Jesse shrugged, not seeing a problem. He glanced at his watch. "You know Shal's probably heading home about now. She could swing by and give you a ride."

That was a perfectly logical solution. But Brennan stubbornly shook his head. "No, if you want to stay I'll stay with you."

Jesse gave him an exasperated look. "Brennan, drop the big brother thing for one night, will you? I don't need a babysitter."

Brennan sighed, then wondered why he was resisting this so much. For some reason, leaving Jesse alone suddenly just seemed like a bad idea. They stared at each other for a few minutes, Jesse's eyes defiant and Brennan's unrelenting. 

Eventually, Brennan realized they looked like they were playing out some twisted father-son conflict. He convinced himself to back down. After all, he wasn't Jesse's keeper. He'd leave that job to Adam.

"All right," he capitulated. As he moved away to call Shalimar, he caught Jesse's grin—the one he reserved for times when he'd just won a round. Brennan rolled his eyes.

When he went back to the bar, Fiona had returned. She and Jesse were looking at each other with goofy smiles on their faces. Brennan couldn't help but smile himself as he cleared his throat, announcing his presence. "I'm gonna head out. I've got another friend coming to pick me up. It was good to meet you Fiona."

"You too," she responded.

He turned to Jesse. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he instructed.

Jesse looked to Fiona. "Don't worry. I don't think there's anything he hasn't done."

She giggled. Brennan cuffed him lightly on the head, eliciting a small "ouch" before he told the couple good night and headed for the door.

Once out in the cool night air he headed to a nearby retaining wall to sit down and wait for Shalimar. But he found himself walking slowly and glancing back at the club. The uneasy feeling he'd had a few minutes earlier was creeping back. It was like some instinct was telling him not to leave Jesse alone. 

He settled on the wall, shaking his head and telling himself to stop it. Jesse was a big boy. He could certainly take care of himself with a girl. He'd be fine.

When the motorcycle pulled up a few minutes later he pushed himself off the wall and went to meet it. Shalimar pulled off her helmet, tossing long blond hair. "Hey stranger," she said with a smile. "Did you strike out tonight?"

"Hey I had plenty of prospects," he said indignantly. "I was just holding out for someone special."

"Yeah, sure you were," she responded, eyes sparkling with humor. "Jess had more luck, huh?"

He grunted and rolled his eyes.

She took that as an affirmative, laughing softly. After a pause she added more seriously, "Somebody serious?"

Brennan shrugged. "Jess seems to think so. She was nice enough."

Shalimar nodded slowly. "That's good. After Amanda, I wondered how long it would be before he was ready to let someone get close again," she said softly. "I hope he doesn't get hurt this time."

Brennan had wondered the same thing as Jesse grieved his dead girlfriend. He'd watched the younger man refuse to get close to any of the girls he'd met recently. He considered what Shalimar had said about Jesse getting hurt. "Maybe that's all it is," he said absently.

"What?"

He tried to explain. "You ever get this feeling…like a need to keep an eye on somebody? Like something bad is going to happen if you don't?"

"Like protective feelings for the people you care about? You're talking to a feral, Brennan. It comes with the territory," she said with a smile. After a pause she added, "You worried about Jess?"

He nodded hesitantly. "Yeah. I couldn't really explain it."

"Well, I think it comes with your territory, too." At his questioning look she continued, "You've been in the leadership position more lately. I'd be concerned if you weren't a little protective of the rest of us. You know you have a tendency to be _over_protective sometimes."

"I do not," he protested. She raised her eyebrows. After a few seconds he conceded, "Okay, maybe sometimes." 

"So you think maybe that's all this is?"

"I guess it makes sense," he said, though he still looked apprehensively back at the club. He shook his head again, trying to shake away the paranoid feeling. After a minute he turned back to Shalimar. "Hey, you want to get something to eat before we head back to Sanctuary?"

She saw right through him, of course. "To keep yourself occupied so you don't have to sit around worrying?" she asked teasingly.

"That's one reason," he conceded, but smiled back at her.

She studied him, that Cheshire smile still present on her lips, then nodded. "Great. But I'm driving." She handed him the extra helmet.

"Whatever you say," he responded, settling in behind her and placing his arms around her waist. She smiled at him over her shoulder, then restarted the engine.

But even with the plethora of distraction he now had, he still couldn't help but cast a look back at the nightclub as they drove away. 

~*~

To be continued

Please leave me a review and let me know if you like it! 


	2. Missing Pieces

Collateral Damage: Chapter 1

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See Prologue for disclaimer and other story notes.

Missing Pieces

~*~

"Brennan."

The elemental rolled away from the voice and tried to ignore it. It seemed like he had just gone to sleep, and he really had no intention of waking up any time soon.

The voice, however, was persistent. "Brennan!"

He finally opened his eyes, but refused to move more than that. "What?" he ground out, starting at the wall.

A hand touched his shoulder, coaxing him onto his back. The voice, which Brennan had finally identified as Adam, continued, "Are you awake?"

Brennan glared at him silently through half-closed eyes.

"Okay, okay, message received," Adam said, smiling slightly before growing serious. "I need to ask you about Jesse."

That finally brought Brennan's brain awake and he pushed himself into a sitting position. "What about him? Is something wrong?"

"I hope not, but he hasn't come home yet."

"That's not all that unusual," Brennan responded slowly, squinting at the clock. It was almost 10 am. Okay, that was unusual. He felt the uneasiness that had plagued him the night before come trickling back. "He didn't call?"

"No," Adam answered, concern on his features. "And I've been trying to contact him for an hour with no response. I can't even locate him with his comm link inactive." After a pause he continued, "Shalimar said you seemed a little reluctant to leave him last night. Anything you can tell me?"

Brennan shrugged, frowning. "I can't really explain it, Adam. The girl he was with certainly didn't seem like a threat, but…I don't know. I just got a bad feeling. I chalked it up to those overprotective instincts everybody says I have." He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "Maybe I shouldn't have."

"That could be all it was. We don't know what's going on yet." Adam patted his shoulder and turned to go. "Get dressed and you and the girls can go find him. If he's fine, you can yell at him for me."

~*~

Three hours later Brennan was ready to yell at anyone who came within ten feet of him. But Jesse wasn't on the receiving end, because Jesse had yet to be found.

Emma trailed behind Brennan, trying not to set off his temper. She didn't need her powers to know that he was worried in addition to feeling guilty for leaving Jesse alone. A worried Brennan often translated into an angry Brennan.

She was trying once more to get a psychic hit off of Jesse, without success, when Brennan startled her by abruptly slamming a hand into the outer wall of the nightclub. She jumped. Brennan noticed and managed to look apologetic. "Sorry Emma." Then he turned away from her and spoke quietly to the deserted parking lot, "Where the hell are you, Jess?"

She risked stepping closer, placing a comforting hand on his back. "We'll find him."

He was silent and she followed his gaze to the one lonely car in the lot. It was exactly where Brennan had parked it the night before; exactly where he'd left it when Shal had picked him up. There was no indication that Jesse had touched it.

They'd gone over it first, then gone inside to find the nightclub's owner. She'd given them nothing helpful except the addresses of the bartender and the bouncer. Shalimar had gone off to find the bartender, who lived nearby. That left Brennan and Emma to search in the immediate area of the club, which consisted mostly of alleys and dumpsters. Happy as they were to have not found their friend there, they were no closer to answers than they had been three hours earlier.

"Guys?" Shalimar's voice came through their comm links.

"We're here, Shal. Go ahead," Emma responded.

"The bartender remembers Jesse—though he remembers the girl more. Apparently she was a real knockout."

"That she was," Brennan commented.

"I meant that literally. He commented that Jess must be a real lightweight because he was very drunk on very little alcohol."

"What?"

Emma added her protest to Brennan's. "That doesn't seem like Jesse."

"I'm with you there, but this is what the bartender told me. He was about to take Jesse's keys, but the girl took them instead. She said she'd drive him home. He got the impression they knew each other well; he was surprised when I told him they'd just met. They left together around 2."

"Driving him home?" Brennan said incredulously. 

"That's what she told him."

"Had he had anything to drink before you guys got here?" Emma asked.

"No. And he was plenty sober when I left."

"Okay, we've got to find this girl," Shal put in.

"Fiona," Brennan added. "Or at least that's what she said her name was."

Adam cut in then from Sanctuary. "All right. Emma, you meet up with Shalimar and you two find the bouncer. Maybe he can tell you what kind of car they left in. Brennan, leave them the car and bring the Helix back here. I want you looking through the database; she could be a mutant."

Brennan sighed. "On my way."

~*~

Adam met Brennan in the hanger and led him straight to a computer. "I narrowed it down for you," he said, pulling up the database. "Blond females."

Brennan looked at the number of results. "You call that narrow?"

"Well I didn't get a hit off the name that matched the description. So she either gave you a fake name, changed her appearance, or both. You can start with the blondes."

"Or she might not even be in here. This could be a complete waste of time!"

"Brennan, I know you're worried. We all are. But right now, the best chance we have of finding Jesse is first finding this girl. You're the only one who's seen her."

"I know," he sighed. "I know." He obediently reached for the mouse and began to scroll through the images. He didn't want to be here, staring at a screen. He wanted to be out there, doing something active to help find his friend. But he knew Adam was right.

As he kept his eyes on the screen he spoke to the older man, "What are you thinking, Adam?"

There was a sigh in response. "I don't know. I hope we're overreacting."

"But you don't believe that we are."

"No. I might have if the bartender hadn't mentioned that he seemed to drunk for the amount of alcohol he'd consumed. When you add that she was much more sober and said she was taking him with her…"

"You think she slipped him something?"

"Maybe. Or she _did_ something. There are several mutant powers that might make him seem drunk to an observer."

Brennan shut his eyes briefly, then refocused on the computer. Blond after pretty blond stared back at him; none of them had been at the bar the night before. As he worked he mentally went back over everything that had happened. He couldn't get what Adam had just said out of his mind. "Now that I think about it," he admitted a few minutes later, turning to look at Adam as he spoke, "she could have done something even before I left. He wasn't drunk, but he did seem a little dazed. It's just so typical for Jesse to act so infatuated that I didn't think much of it." 

"Well, that could still be normal behavior for Jesse. But it could be something like pheromones." Adam came over to Brennan's computer. "Let's limit the search to ferals. Maybe we'll get lucky." As he typed he glanced at Brennan. "Hindsight is always 20/20, you know. This isn't your fault."

Brennan watched him for a few seconds before smiling slightly. "Does all of this emotional baggage just naturally come with leadership? Because if it does, you can keep it."

Adam returned his smile. "You get used to it."

Adam moved away, leaving Brennan with more blondes. But another half hour of ferals brought him no "Fiona." His eyes were starting to hurt from looking at the screen when Adam's console signaled an incoming message. The leader excused himself and headed for the privacy of his own room. Brennan stared after him for a moment before deciding it was time for a break.

He abandoned the computer to quietly follow Adam. The older man had left the door ajar, making it easy for Brennan to eavesdrop. He could barely see the screen on which a scrambled image was displayed. But he could hear the conversation clearly.

"Adam. It's been a long time," came a female voice.

Adam was squinting at the image. "Who is this?"

"Why Adam, I'm insulted." She didn't sound insulted. She sounded smug…and dangerous. She continued, "I expect you'll figure it out soon enough. I just called to let you know that your people are on the wrong side of town."

"What?" 

"You lost something, correct?"

Brennan tensed and saw Adam do the same. "What do you know about it?" he demanded.

She laughed softly. "Everything. As I was saying, your little girls are completely off the radar. Would you like a hint?"

Adam was staring at the image with a deadly intensity Brennan hadn't seen in a while. "If you've hurt him…" he threatened, voice low and even.

"I suppose 'hurt' is a relative term," she responded flippantly. "Try the hotel down on Madison Avenue. Room 512."

"Who are you?"

"Patience, Adam. Retrieve what is yours. Then we can talk about old times, if that genius IQ hasn't figured it out yet. And I'll be happy to give you my demands."

"Demands? What the—" he was cut off as she closed the communication.

"Adam?" Brennan finally made his presence known.

Adam turned to him, not even bothering with a reprimand. He didn't seem all that surprised that he had overheard. "I don't know. Go check it out."

Brennan didn't need to be told twice. He was out the door and halfway to the Helix before Adam yelled after him, "But be careful! I don't want two of you missing!"

~*~

To be continued

__

Thanks for the reviews! Please keep them coming!


	3. Fallout

Collateral Damage: Chapter 2

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See Prologue for disclaimer and other story notes.

Fallout

~*~

Brennan approached the front doors of the hotel cautiously. "I'm here Adam," he said quietly into his comm link.

"Brennan, I want you to wait for Shalimar and Emma. They're on their way."

Brennan paused. "How long until they get here?"

"They just left the bouncer's apartment. From across town in Friday afternoon traffic…I'd give them at least 20 minutes."

Brennan shook his head in frustration, moving again. "I can't wait, Adam."

"Brennan…"

Brennan cut him off. "I'll call you when I find him. I'm going in now."

He opened the door, knowing Adam was probably going to ream him later but also knowing that he couldn't expect him to communicate in a public lobby. He glanced around as he crossed to the elevator, seeing no one suspicious but noting the surveillance camera mounted over the desk. He started to push the 'up' button but paused when he noticed that the elevator was up on the 8th floor. Unwilling to wait, he headed for the nearby stairs.

Five flights later he was extremely grateful that he was in good shape. He exited the staircase, glancing both directions before following the room numbers until he found 512.

Here he paused. There was a maid two doors down with her cleaning cart who had taken note of him. He really didn't want to announce his presence, but he couldn't very well go busting into a room without a key while she was watching. He offered her a smile before turning to knock lightly on the door.

Apparently satisfied she entered room 508, leaving him alone in the hallway. As soon as she was safely inside Brennan focused on the lock. It was a standard keycard mechanism. With one more glance around he lit his fingers with electricity and gave the lock a jolt. It clicked, green light coming on, and he grasped the door handle and pushed.

He took a careful step into the room, prepared for someone to jump out and attack him. He was also prepared to find Jesse unconscious with any number of injuries.

But less than a foot inside, Brennan froze. Whatever he'd been expecting, this wasn't it.

Standing by the door he could see through the room to the balcony. The curtains and door had been flung open. Jesse was outside, looking fully mobile and dressed in nothing but the pants he's been wearing the night before. He was probably cold, but he had a bigger problem—he was on the _other_ side of the railing.

Caution went out the window. Brennan tore across the room and was on the balcony before he'd had time to think about it. Jesse had turned to face the room such that he was holding on with both hands and standing on the bottom rung of the rail, but his eyes were focused downward. Brennan didn't stop to ask questions; he just reached for his friend.

He grasped the arm closest to him and wrapped his other arm around Jesse's back. His heart almost stopped a moment later when Jesse started struggling against him. "Jess, stop! Calm down!" he ordered, tightening his grip as he caught sight of the five story drop below them.

To his relief, Jesse obeyed. When the blue eyes finally rested on his and Jesse said, "Brennan?" the elemental realized that Jesse hadn't recognized who was with him until that moment.

Still, his heart was trip-hammering and his temper flared. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded.

Jesse stared at him, confusion and the remnants of panic in his eyes. "I heard something at the door," he explained stumblingly. "I didn't know…and I thought I should get away…"

"So you thought you'd just fly off?" Brennan didn't like this. Even though he was conscious and appeared unhurt, Jesse was obviously still out-of-it. He wanted him back on solid ground _now_.

"I was gonna climb…it seemed like a good idea at the time…" Jesse trailed off as his eyes focused on the ground and widened, as if just realizing how high he was.

"Let's get you back on my side, huh? Then we can talk about it," Brennan said with a calmness he didn't feel.

Jesse nodded, but his gaze stayed on the ground. "Jesse, look at me. Don't look down, just look at me." His tone broached no argument. With a visible effort, Jesse did as he was told. "Okay. I need you to climb back over. I'm gonna hold onto you so you won't fall, but you have to do the work." He waited for Jesse to nod, then shifted his grip to allow Jesse room to swing his legs back over the railing.

He was halfway over when Brennan's comm link suddenly came to life. "Brennan?" Adam's voice was anxious; it had been too long since Brennan had reported in.

It startled Jesse, who hadn't yet leveraged his weight from the other side. Brennan felt him slip and lunged forward to wrap his arms around him, grimacing at the additional strain on his own muscles as he took all of his friend's weight. "Not now Adam," he barked, then turned his full attention to Jesse. The younger man had lost his grip on the railing and was now clinging entirely to Brennan. And he was looking down again. "Jesse, look at me. I've got you," he gritted out. "I'm going to pull you back. You just concentrate on getting over."

With that he threw himself backwards, heaving Jesse right along with him. Jesse managed to get himself untangled from the railing, and seconds later they both crashed to the balcony floor. 

Both were still lying on their backs, slightly stunned, when Adam spoke again. "Brennan? Brennan, what's happening?" If he'd thought Adam was anxious before, he was panicked now. 

"I'm here, Adam." Brennan rolled onto his side to check on Jesse. When the younger man made eye contact and managed a slight nod, Brennan continued, "We're okay." He pushed himself upright and helped Jesse sit up. 

"We?"

"Say something, Jess," Brennan encouraged.

Jesse rubbed a hand over his face. He was shaking. "I'm okay, Adam," he said weakly. 

"Jesse." They heard Adam's relieved sigh. "We were worried."

Jesse had taken to studying the floor. He said nothing more. Instead Brennan put in, "I'm going to bring him home, Adam."

"Did you find anything in the room?"

"I think I should get him back to you," Brennan replied vaguely, knowing it would be enough for Adam to get the message—that he wasn't so sure Jesse was okay.

There was a lengthy pause, then, "Okay. Since the girls are headed over there anyway they can check out the hotel. You two come on back to Sanctuary." 

"We'll see you soon," Brennan closed the conversation, then once again gave Jesse his full attention. He climbed to his feet then reached to help Jesse up. This time as he grasped the younger man's right arm he noticed a small red spot. He ignored it for the moment as he managed to get Jesse up and helped him back into the room. He sat him down on the unmade double bed, then crouched in front of him.

He had many questions he wanted to ask, but only one that took precedence. "Jess?" He placed his hands gently on either side of Jesse's face, forcing him to meet his eyes. "_Are_ you okay?"

"I…I don't know," Jesse finally responded.

That wasn't exactly an encouraging answer. Brennan rephrased, "Are you hurt?"

After a moment Jesse slowly shook his head. "I don't think so. I just feel…weird."

Brennan sighed softly, then managed to quirk a smile. "Weirder than normal, huh?"

The familiar teasing brought a small smile from Jesse, which reassured Brennan somewhat. He released Jesse's face to pat him lightly on the shoulder. "We'll let Adam take a look at you, okay?" After he got a nod, he cautiously continued, "Can you tell me what happened?"

Jesse shook his head. "I can't remember."

Brennan told himself not to push it. He needed to get Jesse safe and back to Sanctuary, then they could figure this out. "It's okay," he assured Jesse. After squeezing his friend's shoulder he stood. "I don't suppose you know where the rest of your clothes are," he said as he looked around.

"Couldn't find them," came the quiet answer.

Brennan looked down into the forlorn face. This helpless, contrite Jesse was so contrary to his usual self that Brennan hardly knew how to deal with him. 

He pulled off his own jacket and draped it around his friend. As he helped Jesse slip the sleeves on, he paused to brush his fingers over the spot he had noticed earlier on his upper arm. It was a small, dried circle of blood. He'd let Adam play the doctor, but he was fairly certain what he was looking at.

It was a needle mark.

~*~

To be continued


	4. Searching for Answers

Collateral Damage: Chapter 3

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See Prologue for disclaimer and other story notes.

Searching for Answers

~*~

"Sure thing Adam," Shalimar confirmed into her comm link as Emma parked in the hotel lot.

Adam had called to let them know Brennan had found Jesse and was on his way back to Sanctuary with him. As they climbed from the car the telempath commented, "At least we know he's safe now." 

"Yeah, but I still want to know what she did to him." Shalimar's voice had a deadly hint to it. Emma was used to Shalimar's protective, feral attitude, especially when it came to Jesse. She'd hate to be this Fiona girl when Shal caught up to her.

The two of them made their way through the lobby. "You want the room or the desk and cameras?" Emma asked.

Shalimar looked over to the desk. The teenaged boy behind it whose nametag read "Kenny" was looking back at her—staring really, mouth slightly open. She offered him a smile and his eyes widened. "I'll try my luck with the desk."

Emma snickered. "I don't think you'll need much luck." They separated, Emma heading for the elevator and 5th floor and Shalimar for her latest admirer.

Ten minutes later Shalimar knew more about Kenny Thompson than she'd ever wanted to know. She also had him accessing last night's entries, and the eager young man was calling off female names that had been registered in the early morning hours. She stopped him at one.

"Jane Doe?" she asked incredulously.

"That's what it says."

"And nobody thought that was a little suspicious?"

He shrugged. "Hey, she paid ahead in cash. The room is hers through tomorrow morning, no questions asked. My boss would tell you that what she does in there is her business unless someone complains."

"Well, I'm complaining," she groused. "No one else did?" she added, thinking that someone might have noticed a pretty young woman hauling a seemingly drunk man into her hotel room.

He studied the screen, then shook his head. "Nope."

"It was room 512, right?"

He glanced at her, surprised. He likely wasn't supposed to give out that information, but since she already knew all he had to do was confirm it. "Yeah," he admitted.

This was getting her nowhere. She pasted her most seductive smile on her lips and leaned over the counter, brushing his arm lightly. "Hey Kenny, it would really help me out if I could see the surveillance video from last night. A trustworthy guy like you must have access to that kind of thing. Do you suppose you could help me?"

He stared at her, then looked away. "I'm not supposed to…"

"It'll be our little secret," she pushed, practically purring, glad the boys weren't here to watch it. They'd never let her live it down. 

Kenny did not need much convincing. A few minutes later he had handed the desk off to another employee, announcing he was going on break, and was leading her to a security room off of the lobby.

When she met Emma in the lobby a half hour later, she had a copy of last night's surveillance tape in hand. Kenny was on cloud nine, though she'd done nothing more that flirt with him. She offered him a small wave as they walked from the hotel.

"What did you find out?" Emma asked in the parking lit.

Shalimar held up the tape. "We've got a blond female, who sometimes likes to go by Fiona or Jane. No sign of Jesse in the lobby; she checks in then goes back outside to go in the south entrance with her 'luggage.' I pulled up the image from that camera, too." She paused, then went on with anger obvious in her voice. "Their faces are blurry and the camera has a bad angle. But it's definitely them. He looks totally out of it; she shouldn't have even been strong enough to maneuver him in that condition."

"So she probably is a mutant," Emma mused.

"Not necessarily, but it would be my guess. At least now we have a digital image. Maybe we can identify her." Shalimar paused to open the car door and climb in beside her friend. "Did you find anything?"

Emma shook her head. "The maid had been through. I caught her down the hall and asked if she'd found anything, but nothing helpful."

They drove in silence for a few minutes. Shalimar gazed out the window, shaking her head. "He had better be okay," she said softly. "If not, this girl is going to wish she'd never screwed with us."

~*~

Adam watched the pupil dilate as he moved the penlight away. The tired blue eyes blinked back at him. "I really think I'm okay now."

Adam studied the young man before him. "No more urges to jump off a balcony?"

"I wasn't trying to jump. I was just confused and…I don't know."

"And scared?" Adam added softly. Jesse looked like he wanted to protest, but Adam didn't wait for a response. "I think you almost gave Brennan a heart attack," he said more lightly, though the situation was anything but light.

"I don't think he's out of the woods yet." Jesse's amused gaze tracked his friend, who was currently pacing around like a feral outside of the infirmary. Adam smiled to see some of Jesse's humor coming back. He was acting fairly normal, if a bit exhausted. Whatever had had him so out of sorts at the hotel seemed to be wearing off.

"You had him worried. You had all of us worried," the leader commented as he helped the younger man remove Brennan's coat. He took a closer look at Jesse's right arm. Brennan was right; it looked as if he'd been injected with something. "Do you remember how this happened?"

Jesse glanced at the spot, sighing in frustration. "No."

"All right, it's okay. I'm just going to draw some blood." He moved away to get the needle. "Tell me what you do remember."

Jesse shook his head. "Not much. I remember the club, I remember meeting Fiona. I remember Brennan leaving. After that, I'm just a blank until I woke up in the hotel room."

Adam returned to the table, asking his next question cautiously, "Can you tell me about that?"

Jesse shrugged. "It was probably no more that an hour before Brennan showed up. And it's kind of hazy." He held out his arm expectantly.

"Why don't you lie down," Adam suggested.

"I'm fine." There was that trademark stubbornness. Adam would never have thought he'd be happy to see that.

"It's been almost 20 hours since you've eaten anything," he reminded. "When you start losing blood, you're not going to be so fine."

Jesse rolled his eyes but did as he was told. As Adam performed the motions of drawing blood, he rephrased his last question more directly. "When you woke up, were you wearing anything?"

Jesse looked confused. "What I'm wearing now. I tried to find my shirt and shoes but couldn't…" With a start his eyes dawned with realization. "Adam, what do you think happened?" he asked with a hint of fear.

"Honestly, Jesse? I don't know." He set the filled vial of blood aside and reached to pat Jesse's shoulder comfortingly. "But we'll find out. I promise you that." After a pause he continued, "You think you could eat something?"

Jesse stared at him for a moment, still obviously worried about his missing time. But he managed to push past it and sound fairly normal. "Are you kidding? I'm starving."

Adam chuckled softly. "Good. Hey, Brennan," he called, knowing that the elemental wouldn't have strayed far.

Sure enough, the dark head poked through the door a few seconds later. "Yeah Adam?"

He motioned him forward. "You can come in."

Brennan did, approaching the two of them. "How are we doing?" he asked.

"So far so good," Adam responded. "I'm going to do some blood work. Would you mind getting some food into him?"

"Sure. You want me to bring you something?" he asked Jesse.

"I'm not an invalid," came his slightly peeved response. "I can walk to the kitchen." Brennan and Adam exchanged a smile. This was the Jesse they knew. But Jesse ruined the image a moment later by sitting up too quickly. With a "whoa" he shut his eyes and swayed, and would have fallen over if both the older men hadn't been quick to grab onto him.

Brennan was immediately concerned, but Adam simply shook his head. "I warned you you'd be dizzy, didn't I?" To Brennan he said, "He'll be fine once he eats and raises his blood sugar."

"Okay." Brennan gave Jesse a pat on the back, then started to step away. "I'll be right back with some—"

"No, I can make it," Jesse said stubbornly. "Just give me a hand."

With that he pushed himself off the bed, forcing Brennan to catch him again. Once he was on his feet Jesse started attempting to move forward. Brennan heaved a long-suffering sigh and pulled Jesse's arm over his shoulders, slinging a supportive arm around his friend. He looked back at Adam and rolled his eyes at Jesse's stubbornness.

Adam simply smiled. He knew that Brennan was more relieved that annoyed. For all their bickering, the two were actually quite close. After what Brennan had been through with Jesse earlier, the normalcy of his friend's "little brother" behavior was probably comforting.

He watched the two of them leave, then his smile slowly disappeared. He got the distinct impression this was still far from over. The mystery caller had spoken of her demands. Fighting a sense of foreboding, Adam turned from the door and headed for his instruments to perform an analysis of Jesse's blood.

Ten minutes later he felt his own blood run cold as he stared at his findings. It couldn't be; he had to have made some mistake. It wasn't possible.

But there it was.

And suddenly all of the pieces fell into place. He was shocked that he hadn't recognized her voice.

But why would she seek him out after all this time? And what possible reason could justify _this_?

~*~

To be continued


	5. A Familiar Face

Collateral Damage: Chapter 4

__

See Prologue for disclaimer and other story notes.

A Familiar Face

~*~

"Jesse!"

Brennan glanced up as the girls entered, both making a beeline for Jesse. 

"We were worried abut you," Shalimar said as she hugged him gently. 

When she moved aside, Emma took her place. "Are you okay?" she asked when she pulled back. Both girls seemed anxious for an answer to the question.

"I'm fine."

Emma and Shalimar glanced from him to Brennan. Jesse noticed and rolled his eyes, mumbling something about needing big brother's opinion. Brennan grinned, reaching to ruffle Jesse's hair as he spoke. "Adam's doing some blood work, but he seems okay."

"What happened?" Emma asked softly.

"We're still working on that," Brennan responded.

Both girls got the message. After a moment Shal squeezed Jesse's shoulder and tried to lighten the mood. "Well, Emma and I are just going to have to pick out both of your dates from now on," Shalimar proclaimed, a teasing note in her voice.

"Maybe we just shouldn't let them out at all," Emma suggested.

Jesse started to protest around the bite of sandwich he had just taken.

It was then that Adam came in. Brennan noticed him first, then looked closer. The older man's face showed a mix of emotions Brennan didn't think he'd seem on Adam before—and a prominent one was fear. "What is it, Adam?" he asked with some trepidation.

Their leader didn't respond. The other three went silent, watching him as well. He came closer to the table where Jesse still sat. Emma and Shalimar moved aside to give him room, both looking on in concern. He pointed vaguely to the cup beside Jesse's plate. "Jesse, try to phase the cup," he ordered softly, voice shaky.

Jesse was confused, but went to do as Adam asked. He grasped the cup and tried to phase it.

He couldn't.

"Adam?" The young mutant's voice was frustrated as he tried again to use his power, with no success.

Adam didn't seem surprised; rather it seemed he was getting confirmation. Brennan stood from his place beside his friend. "What's going on?" he addressed the leader.

Adam simply rubbed a hand across his mouth. "Try to mass," he instructed Jesse.

Again, Jesse couldn't do it. Frustration was slowly turning to fear. "Adam, what's happening with my powers?"

Adam took a few moments to answer. In that time, his four team members stared at him with varying amounts of confusion and concern. They hadn't seen Adam this rattled in quite a while. Eventually he said, "They're being suppressed. You won't be able to access them."

That announcement was met with a few seconds of stunned silence. Then came a chorus of four voices. "What?!" 

But Adam wasn't sticking around to answer; he was already halfway out the door. 

It was Brennan who caught up to him first in the hallway. He grasped his elbow, pulling him up short. "Adam, what the hell is going on?" he demanded.

"Brennan…" he trailed off, watching as the others approached as well. "I'll tell you all everything, I promise. But right now time is of the essence. I have to make a call."

Brennan was frustrated, but something in Adam's eyes told him this situation was very serious. He let him go. 

Adam started to turn, but paused and faced Jesse instead. He placed a hand on the young man's shoulder and said, "We'll figure this out, Jesse. I promise you that." With that, he walked off purposefully.

Brennan turned to the rest of the team. They looked back at him, obviously surprised that he had given up with that little of a fight. "Let's give him a few minutes. I'm sure he'll explain as soon as he can."

The girls exchanged a look. Jesse alternated his gaze from the spot Adam had disappeared from and Brennan. "And what am I supposed to do in the meantime, huh?" he asked.

"Do you feel okay?"

Jesse took a second to consider it. "I guess so."

"Okay. Just try to calm down, all right? We'll work this out." 

Brennan just hoped he wasn't lying to his friend.

~*~

Now that he knew who he was looking for, it was a simple matter to get a hold of her. This time the image wasn't scrambled, and the brunette on the screen was certainly older, but still easily recognizable to Adam.

"Shannon," was his only greeting.

She smiled. "Ah, so he does remember me."

He didn't return the gesture. "It's been a long time. You weren't the first person I thought of as a kidnapper."

She grew serious. "I had no choice, Adam."

"Oh, of course not. Look doctor, whatever you're thinking, it won't justify this." His voice was hard and unforgiving. "Why? Do you really hate me that much?"

"You checked his blood, I assume." It was rhetorical; he wouldn't have called if he hadn't identified the drug. She continued in a soft tone, "I don't hate you. I need your help. I didn't think you would give it freely without some kind of motivation."

He stared at her incredulously. "And you thought that killing one of my people would put me in a generous mood?"

"I'm not _killing_ him," she denied.

He was speechless with anger, but in the silence that followed he let her response and its implication sink in. Then he sank into the nearest chair. "You made it work?" he asked, unable to keep the slight hint of awe out of his voice.

She hesitated. "Not exactly. I think you were right all along--it couldn't be done. Not safely, anyhow." She paused, meeting his eyes and holding the gaze. "But I have found a way to reverse the drug, an antidote of sorts. I never stopped working on it. Would you in my position?"

Adam tried to reconcile all of this in his mind. "Are you telling me that you can counteract it in Jesse?"

"I can stop its progress and reverse its effects, yes. That is, if he receives the antidote in time."

Now they were getting to the heart of it. He felt his anger rise again. "So what is this? Blackmail? Have you really sunk so low that you would use an innocent life to blackmail me?"

She raised her voice as well. "This is all about innocent lives!" She took a calming breath then added, "It isn't blackmail. You owe me this, Adam. Think of Jesse as your collateral. Right now, his life is in my hands. When I get what is mine, you can have him back."

Adam had to take a calming breath of his own, thinking silently that this woman wasn't exactly stable. He needed to keep his head and avoid upsetting her more. "What exactly is it that you want in exchange for the antidote?" he asked.

"Think about it, Adam. I can reverse it now. I can fix it all."

Realization hit him with the impact of cold water. His anger drained away as he began to understand. "Tamara," he breathed softly.

She nodded, tightening her jaw. "I can't get to her. But you can. Even if you don't know where she is, you can find out. You bring her to me, and I'll give you what you need to save him."

He squeezed his eyes shut, resisting the urge to rub at his fast-growing headache. "I would have helped you, Shannon. You didn't have to do this."

"Maybe," she answered. "But it wasn't a chance I was willing to take."

"How long does Jesse have?" he asked bluntly.

"I had him drugged him last night at the club, as I'm sure you've guessed. I had to wait until most of that had worked through his system before I injected him. He's at about hour 6 now."

"Eighteen hours," he concluded. Time was going to be very important here.

"Only about 6 before you start to see the symptoms. He's going to need you constantly then," she reminded, as if he could have forgotten how this worked. "But that leaves you plenty of time to find the location and send out the rest of your team." She paused before adding softly, "I don't want him to die, Adam. I never wanted anyone to die. Just call me as soon as you have her. We'll set up a meeting and put all of this behind us."

She clicked off the transmission before he'd gathered himself enough to respond. He'd been in an angry shock before, but felt the implications of all of this now. It was like a guillotine hanging over his—or rather Jesse's—head.

He debated going out to the team and explaining everything right then. But a moment's thought brought the decision that it would be better if he had a plan first. 

He spent a few minutes racking his brain, trying to remember the specifics of the long-dead Genomex project. Then he sat at his computer and set about tracking down one very important cryogenic pod.

~*~

To be continued

__

Author's note: I know this is all still a bit confusing. I was going to include the explanation and back-story in this chapter, but it was just getting too long. Everything will be much clearer next week, I promise!


	6. Past Pain and Present Sins

Collateral Damage: Chapter 5

__

See Prologue for disclaimer and other story notes.

Past Pains and Present Sins

~*~

A short time later, Adam found his team lounging in the sitting area, obviously trying to make things feel as normal as possible. He called to them, waiting while they made their way to him. Without much preamble, he launched into his story.

"In the early days of the project we didn't have a good grasp on the scope of what we had done. We had patients with mutations that were out of control and very unstable. We didn't know how to deal with it. At some point it was decided that someone should be brought in to try to fix what we screwed up." He turned to the screen, bringing up an image. A younger version of the image he'd been conversing with earlier appeared. "Dr. Shannon Keets."

"That's not Fiona," Shalimar offered, having seen the video surveillance.

"No. I expect she was just working for Shannon." He watched them exchange looks and knew they had taken note of the first name usage. 

"Is this our mystery caller then?" Brennan asked. At Jesse's questioning look he added, "Adam got a call earlier telling us where to find you."

"Yes, it was her."

"So she's behind all of this?" Brennan was angry, and Adam really couldn't blame him. But he didn't yet understand the whole picture.

"Let me explain the history." He paused until Brennan calmed and nodded for him to go on. "She was trying to invent a substance, a drug essentially, to repress the mutations."

Shalimar asked, "Like what Richard was doing with Genomex? Trying to make us normal?"

"Not exactly. It's similar, but Shannon was only trying to suppress the abilities, not eliminate them. If it had worked, the subdermal governors would have been obsolete."

"But it didn't."

"No."

"It seems to be working now," Jesse threw in, speaking up for the first time. "That is the point to this conversation, right? This is what she injected me with?"

"Yes. But…let me go back. It did work, much like Richard's serum worked. It did what it was supposed to do, suppressing the mutant power. It was very promising initially. Shannon was even confident enough that she injected another patient shortly after she saw the positive effects in the trial subject."

"And the catch was…" Emma prompted.

"It suppressed more than just the mutant abilities. Immune system, neural functioning…the list goes on. Within the first 2 hours of injection it was actually an expected side effect; that's what you saw earlier at the hotel, Brennan. On a minor level it provoked confusion and disorientation. Then things cleared up and the subject seemed fine, with no strange powers to be seen."

"That's what we're seeing now." Shalimar looked at him grimly, anticipating what came next. "And what happens later?" she asked with trepidation.

He hesitated, looking not at her but at Jesse. When he finally spoke his voice was quiet. "The subject seemed fine until about 12 hours later. Then we started to see the 'side effects' coming back. They increased tenfold…by the 24 hour mark that mutant was in a coma. Two hours later he was dead."

He watched the shock register in Jesse's blue eyes then forced himself to look away to the rest of the team. Emma was the only one to speak, saying softly, "Adam?"

It was a plea he couldn't answer. He knew they were already drawing the inevitable conclusion. Instead he continued the story softly. "Shannon was desperate to continue her research. But the last thing Genomex wanted was another incident; they yanked the funding and told us to find another way. Shannon couldn't take no for an answer and her behavior became more and more erratic…when she got out of control, they fired her. I hadn't seen her since."

Jesse found his voice and spoke up again, the stress evident in his tone. "Until she decided out of the blue to come and kill me?"

Brennan was closest, and Adam was grateful when the elemental reached to place a comforting hand on Jesse's shoulder. But Brennan's expression was hard, his jaw clenched and eyes deadly serious.

Adam forced himself to keep speaking. "Before we panic, she has developed an antidote."

Realization dawned in Shalimar's eyes, along with a deadly glint that rivaled Brennan's. "She wants something from you."

"Yes."

"Surely you can make the antidote yourself," Emma spoke up.

Adam shook his head. "I probably would find it eventually, but not with the time crunch. And especially not without a sample of the drug in its pure form. Shannon knew exactly what she was doing; exactly when to inject him and when to call us. We only have about 18 hours at the most and we need to spend it getting what she wants in exchange for the antidote."

"What exactly is that?"

He turned, pulling up another image. This time it was a little girl, brown hair pulled up in pigtails and dimples showing in both cheeks as she smiled for the camera. "Tamara Keets," he said simply. "Her daughter."

They all stared a moment, processing, then Shalimar asked, "She wants us to kidnap her daughter? Is this some custody thing?"

"No. I almost wish it was. I told you Shannon had injected another subject," He nodded to the picture.

"She injected her daughter with this stuff?" Jesse's voice was slightly stunned.

Emma added, "What kind of mother injects her own daughter with a new drug before she knows it's safe?"

"Tamara was—_is_—an elemental. Fire, to be more precise. Her power was out of her control and we were having a lot of trouble controlling her body temperature. Plus, she tended to set fire to random things or people around her," he paused, and sighed. "Have you ever tried telling a parent that you can't save their child? She was dying. It was within Shannon's ability to do something about it."

"So she did," Emma finished for him softly. "She didn't realize she would be killing her herself."

Adam could usually depend on his telempath to be sympathetic. He felt that too, because he'd been there. He'd watched it. But the others seemed to be having a bit more trouble with it. "So, the girl's dead?" Brennan asked bluntly.

"Not exactly. We knew we had a limited amount of time, so we induced a coma and put her into cryogenic suspension. She was never woken, because there was never a cure."

"She's been stuck in a pod all these years?" For Jesse, that sounded like a fate worse than death.

Adam was quick to reassure, "Well it hasn't been that long for her. She'll still be this seven-year-old girl."

"So we go get the pod and take her to Mommy. Doesn't sound so tough. Is she in the old Genomex facility?" Brennan was ready to go right then and there. Adam resisted the urge to chide him for his typical impetuousness, knowing that it came from worry for a friend.

"No," he answered. "She was moved to a different lab. That's the problem. While she's in a barely monitored section, this lab is still in use by a different government organization."

"Great," Emma said. 

Shalimar threw her a smile. "But we've never let that stop us before."

"Of course not," Adam continued. "We just need a plan."

~*~

Across town, Gina Phillips smiled her thanks to the bartender before draining the shot glass in one long gulp. Not very ladylike, but she made up for it by tossing her long blond hair over one shoulder. She didn't miss the appreciative looks aimed her way, but she did ignore them. Late afternoon was creeping closer, but it was still a bit early for drinks and she seriously doubted she wanted to know any of the men who were populating this place at this hour. As for her, well, she figured that since she'd had to be sober and just sip at the drinks the night before, she deserved a little indulgence now.

She tapped her manicured nails impatiently. After a few minutes she felt someone sit beside her, but she did not turn. She waited for him to speak.

He did not disappoint. "You have what I want?"

She simply cast him a sidelong glance. "I will. The question is whether or not you're willing to pay for what you want."

One brisk nod. "I have the money we agreed upon. Not with me, of course."

"Of course not," she responded in kind. "But you will bring it. I'll need until tomorrow afternoon. Meet me at the old factory down by the docks."

"There will be no complications." It was a statement, not a question. 

She bristled. "Not unless you complicate things. Don't screw with me, Frank. You're not the only game in town. I know at least one guy who's currently _dying_ to get his hands on this."

~*~

If there was one thing Jesse hated, it was feeling helpless. And there was nothing more helpless than sitting around, watching your friends prepare for a mission, and being told you had to stay behind while you waited to die.

He stood near the Helix, trying to stay out of the way as the others bustled about. He wanted to go. Adam had said no, on no uncertain terms.

That hadn't stopped him the last time of course, but Jesse had a suspicion that Adam would lockdown Sanctuary this time if he had to. He knew the older man was just looking out for him. And if he did start to experience those "side-effect" symptoms Adam had been talking about again, he knew he didn't want to be anyplace high when it happened. 

Still, he just felt so…helpless.

"Jesse?"

He jumped slightly. Emma stood in front of him, concerned eyes staring into his. He mentally shook himself out of his reverie and attempted to put on a brave face, complete with phony smile. "I'm fine, Emma."

Her eyes said she knew better, but she didn't speak. Instead she just took a step closer and wrapped him in an embrace. He blinked quickly to clear his suddenly blurry vision.

When she pulled back her eyes were a bit watery as well. But she returned that brave, phony smile, then squeezed his arm before she turned to board the Helix.

Jesse was still watching her go when he abruptly found his arms full again, the force of this hug almost knocking him backwards. He caught her with only a slight stumble. This time the surprise-provoked smile was real, though it was hidden in the long blonde hair. "Take it easy, Shal. I'm fragile, remember?" he joked.

Only she didn't seem to take it that way. The embrace loosened a bit and she stroked his hair tenderly. "You're gonna be fine, Jess. We'll take care of it."

"I know," he said simply. "I know." He let her hold him for a few moments, needing the closeness.

When she stepped back, she stood on tiptoes to plant a kiss on his forehead. "Bye Jess," she said softly, then turned to go. 

"Bye, Shal," he whispered to her retreating back.

This time when he turned back, he watched Brennan approach. "You gonna tell me goodbye too?" Jesse asked with a touch of sarcasm that would have had more effect had his voice not wavered.

Brennan gave him a small smile. "Well I was planning to spare you the kiss, but—"

"No, no, that's all right," Jesse hastened to reassure him, smiling as well.

Brennan clapped him on the shoulder instead. "We are gonna fix this, Jess," he said seriously.

"Yeah." He knew it wasn't very convincing, but it was the best he could do. Brennan stared at him a moment longer, then pulled him into a quick, hard embrace. He released him after a second and turned to go without a word. Jesse bit his lip. Brennan had always said he was bad with good-byes. "Brennan?"

His friend turned back. "Yeah?"

Jesse moved a few steps closer and took a deep breath before launching in. "Brennan, whatever happens…I need to know that you'll take care of them."

An unmistakable flash of pain crossed Brennan's face. "Jess…"

"Promise me."

Brennan swallowed hard. "You know I will."

Jesse nodded, eyes drifting to the ground. He looked up again when Brennan grasped his chin. "I'm gonna take care of you, too." The elemental said in all seriousness.

"I know you'll try your hardest," Jesse responded. 

Brennan started to speak again, but Adam's voice cut him off. "Brennan, you really need to get moving." It was full of apology; Adam hated breaking up what could be their last good-byes. 

But it was much less likely that that would be the case if Brennan did as he was told. Jesse gave him a gentle push towards the Helix. "Go."

With one last glance backward, he went. Jesse watched them close the door, then moved away so they could take off. He watched them go.

Then he went back to Adam. To wait.

~*~

To be continued

__

Author's Note: Sorry about the late posting, guys. It's called end-of-the-semester rush. I hope to still have the next part up this Friday, but if I miss it for some reason I promise it will be here as soon as possible. Thanks!


	7. Night Shift

Collateral Damage: Chapter 6

__

See Prologue for disclaimer and other story notes.

Night Shift

~*~

The sunset was casting beautiful purples. Emma watched it with her peripheral vision as Brennan spoke beside her, "We're ready, Adam."

"Let it get dark, Brennan. Be patient."

Brennan groaned and rolled his eyes, muttering something about overcautious scientists and cursing softly. On his other side, even Shalimar was fidgeting. "He's right," Emma put in softly. "We can't help Jesse if we get ourselves caught and arrested."

Neither of them even acknowledged her. She rolled her own eyes and briefly entertained the idea of using her powers to send them a calming wave. But since they needed to be as sharp as possible to break into a government facility, she dismissed the thought.

She glanced back to the building. The plan was for Adam and Jesse to guide them past the security measures and through the maze of current labs to the unused section where they would find the girl. They had waited for the early sunset and watched the majority of the employees leave, knowing that the less the possible resistance, the better.

Unfortunately, the longer they waited the more agitated Brennan and Shalimar became. Emma had little doubt that Jesse was behaving similarly back at Sanctuary. While she felt for him, she didn't envy Adam the task of trying to calm him.

Fortunately, once the sunset had begun darkness followed in short order. Brennan waited a few more minutes before announcing once again that they were ready. This time, Adam gave them the go-ahead.

They walked right in the front door. Brennan shorted out the cameras, Emma hit the guard with a psionic blast, and Adam directed them past the lobby and into the network of laboratories.

~*~

Adam turned his attention from the monitor when Jesse sank down beside him with a sigh. He studied the young man, certain that he looked a little paler than normal. "How are you feeling?" he asked carefully.

"Oh, I'm just sitting here dying. No big deal."

Though he knew the biting sarcasm was just hiding Jesse's fear, Adam still winced as though he'd been struck.

Jesse noticed and sighed again. "Sorry. I'm okay, Adam."

Adam studied him. "Promise you'll let me know if that changes?"

He received a slow nod. "Yeah."

Adam had little choice but to accept that. He indicated that Jesse should take over with the comm, then sat back and watched. As Jesse directed Brennan past the security door leading to the older section of the lab, Adam ruminated on the smooth workings of his team. It would be devastating to have to start over with a new team member. More than that, it would break all of their hearts.

It wasn't as if this was the first time he'd had to face this with one of them. But it never got any easier. As a matter of fact, the closer the four of them got, the harder it became.

~*~

"This is entirely too easy," Brennan muttered.

Shalimar glanced back at him, seeming to agree. Nothing ever went this smooth. If it did, trouble was usually waiting around the next corner.

But the next corner revealed an empty hallway much like the last one. They had encountered only one technician in this section, and he hadn't exactly been a difficult obstacle. Whatever was behind the rest of these doors must not be considered too important.

Adam was directing them again, leaving Brennan honestly missing Jesse's voice. It was comforting to hear him, even if he was just supplying security codes. At least they could hear that he was still with them.

He broke from his thoughts when Adam told them to stop. "She should be right through the door on your left."

Brennan exchanged a glance with the girls, then opened the door. They all entered together, then stopped short and stared.

"Did you find her?" came Adam's impatient voice after a few moments of silence.

Brennan took a second to respond. "Uh…not exactly."

They were looking at cryogenic pods. Plural, not singular. There were rows and rows of them.

~*~

After Brennan had explained the situation, they had begun searching through the room. On the other end of the comm, Adam and Jesse were forced to do nothing but wait.

Adam watched as Jesse rubbed at his eyes. After a few moments he said hesitantly, "You need to get some sleep."

Jesse glanced up at him, then responded exactly as he had expected. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not waste my last hours sleeping."

The sharp edge in the young man's voice prompted Adam to take a gentler tone. "Jesse, you're exhaustion is only speeding up the process. Your body doesn't have the strength to fight it." He paused, angling his head to look into Jesse's eyes. "I'll wake you in an hour, I promise."

Jesse's tired blue eyes spoke volumes. As they bored into his own, Adam reached to squeeze his shoulder, trying to convey as much comfort as possible. He wasn't sure he was being very successful until Jesse finally spoke. "All right," he capitulated. "But if anything happens…"

"I'll wake you then."

Jesse shuffled off a bit reluctantly. Adam watched him go. He waited until the door to Jesse's room was safely shut before allowing himself to drop the calm façade. 

He brought a hand up to rub his face. A moment later, he was staring at it blankly as he realized it was shaking. He sat down heavily in front of the monitor. 

After a few intense minutes, he forced his emotions to the back burner. He couldn't afford to do this now. "Brennan, what's happening?" he asked into the comm.

~*~

Brennan was moving from pod to pod, searching for the young face Adam had shown them earlier. The next row over, Emma was doing the same. "We haven't found her yet, Adam. Stand by," he responded shortly.

He glanced towards the entrance, where Shalimar was keeping watch. He was starting to get a seriously bad feeling about this situation. He took a deep breath and shoved his worries aside, continuing the search. He moved on to the next pod.

After a moment he called, "Emma, I think I've got her."

She hurried to join him. Together they looked down through the glass and into the innocent young face. In a different setting, she could have been just a beautiful little girl fast asleep and having pleasant dreams. But here, Brennan was forced to clench his jaw at what Genomex and their experiments had done to this child.

He shook his head, mentally shaking himself back to the present problem. He knelt to look at the anchorage of the pod. "We're never gonna get this thing out of here," he mused.

Emma knelt as well. After studying it for a moment she concluded, "Well, we'll just have to wake her then."

They exchanged a glance. Brennan sighed and spoke into his ring, "Adam? We can't move the pod. We're gonna have to wake her up."

"Brennan…" He could practically hear Adam doing the mental calculations. This certainly wasn't the most desirable course of action. The timetable had begun a decade ago, and waking her now was going to restart it and place her in a situation very similar to Jesse's. Finally their leader responded, "Okay. She should be alright for a few hours yet. Do what you have to do."

Brennan nodded. "I'll get back to you when we've got her out." With that he cut off communication, going back to the pod before him and the little life it contained within.

~*~

Adam let out a pent-up breath and moved from the monitor to the nearby couch as he waited for more news from his team. He realized he was fairly exhausted himself, though he had no plans on sleeping any time soon.

He looked up when he heard the slight noise. He sighed at the sight. Jesse was leaning against the doorframe, watching him silently. He had sincerely hoped that the young man would be able to rest. He was reluctant to offer him any kind of drug to help, what with the chemicals already churning in his system. "Jesse…"

Jesse met his eyes for a second before looking to the ground. "I don't—" he broke off, cleared his throat, then tried again. "I don't want to be alone, Adam."

Adam shut his eyes briefly, then simply nodded his understanding. He knew what that admission had taken for him, and he also suspected it was the closest he would get to a profession of fear. Adam felt a pang in his heart as he opened his arms in silent invitation. 

And while part of Jesse was still embarrassed by this, he needed the comfort more. Nothing was said. He just settled beside his leader on the couch and allowed himself to be pulled close.

And there, in familiar, trusted arms, he finally rested.

~*~

To be continued


	8. Complications

Collateral Damage: Chapter 7

__

See Prologue for disclaimer and other story notes.

Complications

~*~

Adam hated feeling helpless. He felt that he should be doing something, at least trying to find a cure on his own. However, he knew that was his emotions talking and that logic dictated any attempts would be useless.

Jesse shifted against his shoulder and murmured something softly in his sleep. Adam instinctively stroked a hand over his head, calming him.

His thoughts shifted as he glanced at him, a fond smile crossing his features. Jesse looked so young and innocent when he slept. One would never know that he faced such danger on a regular basis.

This young man had been under his skin since day one. And even when he was throwing that attitude around, even when he purposely disobeyed every word Adam said, he was still special. Here was a boy who had grown up seemingly with so much, but who was in want of one major thing—someone to love him. Not someone who wrote it on a Christmas card once a year, but someone who truly cared for him.

Adam had surprised himself with his ability to give that. And while he felt that all of the children of Genomex were his responsibility to some degree, this one had claimed a chunk of his heart. This one he had come to love like a son.

This one, who was currently dying in his arms.

The thought made him squeeze Jesse tighter. Though still asleep, the young man unconsciously responded by snuggling against him. Adam felt the sudden pressure behind his eyes and shut them tightly, biting his lip. It wasn't enough, however, and a single tear slipped past his defenses and down his cheek.

When he'd watched Shannon losing her daughter so many years earlier, he had thought he sympathized. He thought he understood. But he hadn't, not really. 

He did now.

He wondered if that had been her intention.

~*~

Shannon Keets took a deep calming breath and wished futilely for the cigarettes she'd given up a year ago. Doctors were supposed to know better, after all.

Instead she popped a piece of bubble gum into her mouth, then glanced yet again at her watch. She was beginning to doubt the wisdom in this plan. She didn't _want_ to be a murderer, she just wanted her daughter. 

"Doc, you're thinking too hard again," came a chiding voice.

Shannon glanced up. "Gina. Where have you been?"

The blonde shrugged. "We can't all sit around and brood all the time. Got to have some fun in our lives." She slid onto the desk, crossing her legs. She smiled at James, their lab tech who stood nearby, then turned back to Shannon. Shannon noticed that he flushed and looked away. She shook her head and smiled slightly, still marveling at the effect Gina had on men in her proximity. But what was really amazing was the brain she had backing it up. She was often underestimated, something that had made her perfect for Shannon's purposes. The young feral had been working with her so long now that she was almost like a sister. "So…anything new?" Gina asked.

Shannon grew serious again. "No. Nothing yet."

"Well, I suppose it takes time to break and enter. I'm sure they're working on it."

Shannon shook her head slightly. "I don't know. I'm beginning to think we went about this all wrong."

"Hey," Gina leaned down to catch her eyes. "Don't start doubting yourself now. You've waited too long and spent too much time perfecting the drug and its antidote. You said it yourself; Adam Caine would never have understood until he felt what you felt." She sat up straight again. "He'll bring her. Everything will turn out perfectly, you'll see."

She wasn't so sure, but she nodded slightly. "Thanks, Gina."

"Sure thing." With that she pushed off of the desk and headed for James. Shannon watched curiously as she spoke to him. He glanced Shannon's way, then Gina pulled on his arm and urged him out of sight. For some reason, the scene made her uneasy. She shrugged it off. James was a big boy. Surely he could take care of himself.

She turned back to her desk, reaching to pick up the 8 x 10 frame in the center. Without conscious thought, she caressed the colorful image of her daughter. "Soon, baby. You'll be home with me soon," she whispered.

~*~

Brennan watched as Emma swept away a strand of chestnut hair to place a hand on the icy cheek. "She's so cold," she whispered.

"I think that's kind of the idea," he responded. Still, he gazed at her as well. No child should be this still. There was something very unnatural about it. "Shouldn't she be coming around?" he asked after a moment.

"Give her some time. It's not like waking up from a nap."

"More like waking from the dead," he muttered, casting yet another look around and back to Shalimar. He still felt uneasy, and had decided that the less time they spent here the better.

He brought his attention pack to the pod when he heard a small moan. The little brunette moved slightly, then slowly pried her eyes open. Her gaze landed on Emma.

"Hi," Emma said with a smile.

The girl—_Tamara_, Brennan reminded himself—sat up slowly, looking up at them sleepily. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Emma, and this is Brennan." 

Big brown eyes blinked between them. Brennan offered her a smile and a small wave. "Hi, Tamara."

She looked back to Emma. "I'm cold," she announced with a shiver.

"I know, but you'll be warmer soon," Emma cajoled, still smiling to seem less threatening to the child.

Brennan chimed in, "We're gonna get you out of here, okay?"

She looked around, seeming to notice the dark, sterile conditions for the first time. The eyes got impossibly wider and her lower lip began to tremble slightly. "Where's my mommy?"

"It's okay Sweetie, we're going to take you to her," Emma tried to reassure.

"Guys," Shalimar suddenly interrupted from the doorway. "Company's coming," she called softly.

Brennan started to swear but Emma swiftly cut him off, nodding to the girl. He sighed. He wasn't accustomed to having a kid around. She was staring at him curiously. He gave her what he hoped was a comforting smile. "Okay. Tamara, we're gonna play a little game, all right? I need you to be as quiet as you can, and I'm gonna give you a ride out of here."

She nodded tentatively and he reached to scoop her up. He noticed absently that she really was cold. Settling her on his hip, he wrapped a securing arm around her and then led the way to the door.

Shalimar was already out in the hallway, looking the way they had come in. As her teammates arrived behind her she gestured in the opposite direction. "That way," she said succinctly. Brennan didn't need to be told twice. He again took the lead, letting Shalimar bring up the rear as she monitored the proximity of whoever was coming.

Tamara wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on, looking over his shoulder. She remained quiet as she had been told, though it was obvious that she was observing everything with wide-eyed interest. 

He was now certain he heard footsteps behind them. With a word from Shalimar, Brennan quickened his pace. 

When he rounded the next corner, a sudden 'ping' beside his head made him hit the deck. When he looked up, he found himself staring down the barrels of at least five pistols. He slowly stood to his feet, keeping the bulk of his body between Tamara and the guns. Behind him, the footsteps grew loud before grinding to a halt with the very specific sound of more triggers cocking into firing position. Tamara's grip on his neck tightened to the point that it constricted his breathing. He readjusted her minutely, keeping his eyes on the men in front of him. He stared at them coldly.

"Get down on your knees. Hands where we can see them," came the terse order.

Backing down from a fight wasn't something he did as a general rule, but the presence of the young girl in his arms changed things. This was _not_ good.

"Oh—" 

Despite the deadly situation, both girls still cut him off with a simultaneous hiss. "Brennan!"

He rolled his eyes but tightened his grip on Tamara. This was going to get ugly.

~*~

To be continued


	9. Weakening

Collateral Damage: Chapter 8

__

See Prologue for disclaimer and other story notes.

Weakening

~*~

Gina gazed at her "partner" in crime who was currently fidgeting beside the lab table. When he inadvertently hit a vial and sent it tumbling, she was grateful for the feral reflexes that allowed her to step in and catch it. She didn't wish to find out the hard way if it contained something deadly. As she set it carefully back in its place, James stepped away from the equipment to fidget in a more appropriate place.

She took a deep breath to calm her temper before turning back to him. "James, is there a problem?" she asked, voice saccharine.

"I just don't know about this, Gina."

She kept her expression as neutral as possible, though she wanted to knock some sense into him. The boy took entirely too much cajoling for her tastes. "Why all the doubt, Honey? We've been over this."

"It just—" he began, then glanced around before lowering his voice. "It doesn't feel right, okay? This is serious stuff to be handing over to some foreign—"

"He isn't foreign," she interrupted, then wondered why she had. The kid didn't need to know the details. "Look, this isn't some evil plot to destroy everyone. All you need to think about is the great financial opportunities in front of us. Don't panic on me now." 

He still seemed shaky. She couldn't have him revealing something in his nervousness. If she didn't need him… 

But she did. And because she did, she would have to take the time to calm him down.

She moved closer, far into his personal space. He finally stopped fidgeting and went still, watching her with those innocent, naïve eyes. She brought a hand up to trace his chin, leaning even closer. "You wouldn't want to disappoint me, would you?"

"N-no," he stammered. "Of course not." 

And soon she could see the doubts begin to roll away, or at least to the background, replaced by the desire she was instilling.

"Good boy," she whispered, then pressed her lips to his. 

~*~

Moving slowly and deliberately, Brennan bent to place Tamara on the floor. It took a few precious seconds to pry her arms from around his neck, but he didn't have the luxury of time to reassure her. He simply pulled her behind him as he slowly stood again. "Guys, can't we all just be civil about this? Nobody wants any trouble." As he spoke, he felt the little girl's arms latch onto his waist.

The guard who had spoken before simply restated his order. "Put your hands up and get down on your knees."

The one beside him added, "Send the girl over here."

"Well, I can't do that," Brennan responded conversationally. "I guess you'll have to settle for the hands-up thing." 

And he did raise his hands. It was necessary to create the amount of electricity that shortly crackled between them. He was gratified to see the guns waver as their eyes widened in shock.

Behind him, he felt Shalimar move. Or perhaps 'pounce' was a better word. He didn't need to look to know that she and Emma could handle the guys on their end.

He waited to see what his guys would do. Ordinarily he probably wouldn't have been so patient, but he was quite conscious of the young eyes mesmerized by his every move. Something told him that blasting people—even the bad guys—wasn't good role-modeling. Still, when the first of them got over the surprise and steadied his gun to fire, Brennan didn't hesitate. He sent him flying into two of his friends, effectively taking down over half of his opposition. Then he turned to face the two remaining guards. Spotting the raised barrels, he instinctively sent them crashing into the nearby wall.

At that point he spun to check on the girls—and almost tripped over Tamara. He regained his balance in time to see Shalimar deliver a well-placed kick to the head of the last standing guard. He wasn't standing for long. As she and Emma moved back towards him, Brennan looked down into Tamara's impossibly huge eyes. "You're like me," she said with wonder.

He couldn't help the slight smile that broke his face. "Yeah, kid. We're like you." He bent to scoop her up again, knowing that the girls had overheard as they exchanged a smile as well. 

"We'd better keep moving," Shalimar pointed out. 

Brennan agreed. One problem—this place was turning out to be quite the maze. After their hurried movements earlier, he was a little unclear on where the heck they were. "Adam?" he called softly.

There was a lengthy pause before the reply. "I'm here, Brennan. What's going on?"

"We've got her, but we had a couple of complications. They're taken care of, but we could use a little direction."

Tamara was looking at him curiously, obviously wondering who he was talking to. But she still felt the need to announce; "We're lost."

Adam overheard and chuckled softly. "Let's see if we can't fix that, all right?" A few computer clicks, and then he was giving directions again. They set off.

As they walked, Emma asked softly, "Adam, how's Jesse?"

Another pause, then, "He's sleeping now."

They exchanged glances, not very encouraged by that answer. But they didn't pursue it; instead they all instinctively increased their pace. 

When they reached a point near the back loading dock, Brennan told Adam that they could take it from there. They ended the communication and set off out of the building, senses on high alert. 

~*~

Jesse awoke alone. That in and of itself was not all that unusual. However, he had a distinct feeling that he hadn't been alone when he fell asleep. He had felt safe and secure. That was absent now.

He looked around blearily, trying to get his bearings. He was on a couch, that much was clear. But beyond that…he could see computer stations nearby, and something about the scene felt vaguely familiar. But it was as if a fog had set upon his mind. He didn't know where he was.

Shortly, he heard a voice nearby. Again it was familiar but…he just couldn't identify it. He sat up too quickly and the room promptly spun. Not to be deterred, he still tried to stand, confused and determined to defend himself if need be. Unfortunately, his body wouldn't cooperate. Up and down meshed and contorted until he came into hard contact with what could only be the floor. He gasped slightly at the impact, then heard another gasp echo his own.

"Jesse!" Hurried footsteps, then a face appeared above his own. "What's wrong? Are you dizzy? Do you hurt anywhere?"

He ignored the questions, too occupied with studying the older man. 

The lack of answers didn't seem to please him. "Jesse, are you with me here?" When he still didn't respond, a hand came up to smack him lightly on the cheek. He flinched away almost before any contact was made. The man looked surprised and slightly hurt, but there was a glimmer of understanding in his face. Grim understanding.

Still he pressed, "I need you to talk to me, Jesse. It's okay, you're safe. I just need you to tell me what's going on."

He shook his head at first. Then he finally croaked softly "confused…" His voice sounded foreign.

The man was looking into his eyes. A moment later, Jesse started as a voice abruptly came out of nowhere.

"Adam, we're in the Helix. We'll be back at Sanctuary ASAP." 

He knew that voice, too. But he didn't bother trying to place it as he latched onto the name. Adam. This was Adam. He could trust Adam.

Right?

He allowed himself to be pulled upright. He tried to shove back the intense fear that went along with the confusion, but it just refused to be caged. He felt something wet trickling down his face. The man—Adam—reached to wipe his cheek. He almost flinched again at the contact, but the touch was gentle and caring. Almost fatherly.

For some reason that made his chest feel tighter. He heard the sobs begin, but it was as if they came from someplace far away. He watched through blurred eyes as concern flooded Adam's features. He then heard him speak, though it wasn't addressed to him this time.

"Brennan…hurry."

~*~

To be continued


End file.
